Arland Ben

Navajo artist, Arland Ben has worked with metal for most of his adult life. After studying art in college, his brother-in-law introduced him to the art of silversmithing where he began creating concha belts. In the late 1980's his interest in concha belts faded and Arland began to develop designs involving petroglyphs or prehistoric carvings in both gold and silver which has come to characterize his work. He says the petroglyphs are important to him because they represent the first American artwork.

Unlike many metalsmiths, Arland Ben hand-cuts or overlays his designs, a two-layer soldering system which is a lengthy and painstaking process. In addition, Arland does not use templates and he cuts out his shapes by memory. "I draw the figure in my mind and move it around in a three dimensional space. Then I hand-cut the figure into metal." The finished result is an art of deceptive simplicity.

Arland Ben lives with his wife and children on a ranch near the Manzano Mountains of New Mexico.